Flying machine



CARL KNGBLOCH, O'F MADISON, WSGONSIN.

FLYING LTAGHINE.

Application filed February 5, 1924.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, CARL KNoBLooH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Dane and State of l/Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flying Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to improvements 1n flying machines, and has reference more particularly to apparatus for effecting the raising of the machine from the ground and maintaining it at any desired elevation. The general purpose or object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that will satisfactorily perform the elevating and sustaining function of what are known as helicopters, but will afford greater rapidity and flexibility of movement than the helicopter type of elevating mechanism. Another object is to provide an apparatus that, when equipped with a propeller, will offer less resistance to forward travel than is presented by the helicopter type; to provide an apparatus by which lateral tilting and banking of the machine to facilitate spiral and sidewise movements may be readily effected; and to provide an apparatus capable not only of effecting a rapid rising movement, but also adapted to facilitate soaring and gliding movements and also sustain the machine in the air when equipped with a propeller and an elevating and lowering rudder.

The fundamental principle of my improvement, and other objects and advantages attained by the invention will be readily understood by persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection `with the accompanying drawing which is of a somewhat diagrammatic character designed to illustrate merely the basic principle and essential structural features of the apparatus, and in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in vertical section through the wings, of my improved more particularly showing the shutter valves or vanes thereof.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates a floor or platform, pivotally mounted at each end of which are a pair of upstanding links 6. The upper ends of each pair of links are connected by a rod 7, and pivotally Serial No. 690,688.

jointed to the rods 7 are the outer ends of the wings of the machine. Each of these wings comprises a pair of parallel thin fiat metal bars 8 rigidly connected and spaced by an upper horizontal row of tie-rods 9 and a similar lower horizontal row of tierods 10. Hinged to the upper tie-rods 9 are a corresponding number of shutter blades or vanes 11 which function as valves and, in their closed position, overlap each other as shown in Fig. 1 and by full lines in Fig. 3. Preferably, and as herein shown, each blade or vane extends from its pivoted end to its free end in a direction outwardly of the wing. The lower tie-rods 10 are so disposed as to constitute stops to limit the opening movement of the blades or vanes, as clearly indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3

Mounted on the door or platform 5 are a pair of motors conventionally indicated at 12, to the cranks 13 of which are connected pitmen 14 in turn jointed to connecting rods 15 that are slidably mounted in guides 16 in the upper ends of standards 17 erected on the floor 5. At their upper ends the connecting rods 15 are pivoted to transverse rods 18 mounted in depending lugs 19 on the under sides of the wing frames.

In operation, the motors 12 having been started, the wings are rapidly oscillated be tween the full line and dotted line positions shown in Fig. 1. On the upward swing of the wings the shutter vanes 11 open allowing the air to How freely between them, whereby practically no resistance to their upward movement is offered by the air. The instant the wings begin their descending movement, however, the shutters instantly close and together present a substantially continuous and unbroken surface which, by beating against the air, causes the machine to rise. The travel of the connectin rods being in vertical lines, the upwar and downward movements of the wings are accompanied by limited endwise movements which is permitted by the hinged link 6, so that, on the downward thrust of the wings, there is a limited escape of air between the proximate ends'of the wings.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the wings of the machine structurally and functionally resemble in a general way the wings of a bird, except that in the latter the maximum up and down movement of the wing is at or near its outer end, while in the present machine the maximum movement of the wing is at its inner ent.

The principle of the machine might be embodied in a structure wherein the two wings are pivotally jointed at their inner ends, with a single motor effecting simultaneous and equal movements of the wings; but the twin motor construction illustrated is preferred, since allowing for independent movements of the wings and variations in the speed of operation thereof. Manifestl by operating one wing ata greater speed than the other the machine can be tilted or banked as is usual in effecting spiral movements and can also be caused to travel sidewise in either direction accordinclj; as one wing is operated at greater speed than the other.

will also he apparent that the machine shown, when equipped with the usual propeller and lifting and lowering' rudder, may be operated after the fashion of an ordinary aeroplane, the closed shutters of the wings iinitedly performing the function of the usual lifting plane or aerofoil of the stand" ard aeroplane. n gradual descent can be effected by simply holding; the wings in a lowered position as shown in full lines in Fig. l, the air compressed therebeneath escaping' through the eeniral passage between the 'irozzimate ends of the wings.

1.111 a machine of the character described, the combination of a platform, an upstanding` link pivoted at its lower end to said platform, a wing pivotally connected at one end to the upper end of said link and provided with valves adapted to open under upward movement of said wing and close under downward movement thereof,

and a motor for reciprocating, said wing vert' i ,lly relatively to said platform.

2. i a machine of the character described, the combination of a platform, an upstanding` link pivoted at its lower end to said platform, a wing pivotally connected at one end to the upper end of said link and equipped with hinged shutter valves adapted to open under upward movement of said wing' and to close under downward movement thereof, and a motor for reciprocating said wing vertically relatively to said platform.

itl. l a machine of the character described, the conibination of a plat-form, a f wings disposed end to end above latiform and pivotally connected at outer ends to said platform, each of wings said Y being` provided with hinged shitter vL lves ,adapz ed to open under upnd close under downward, movenient or the wing', and a pair of motors independently connected to and swinging said wings vertically relatively to said platfori".

f in a machine of the character described, the combination of a platform, upsl'anding links pivoted at their lower ends to the opposite ends of said platform, ren spectively, a pair of wings disposed end to end above said platform and pivoted at their outer ends to the upper ends of said links, respectivly, each of said wings being provided with hinged shutter valves adapted to open under upward, and close under downward, movement of the wing, and a pair of motors on said platform independ ently connected to and reciprocating said wings vertically relatively to said platform.

CARL KNOBLOCH. 

